Ruth Harkin (née Raduenz; born 1944) is an American attorney who served as county attorney of Story County, Iowa, one of the first female prosecutors elected in the United States.[1]
Ruth Harkin | |
|---|---|
| Deputy Counsel for the United States Department of Agriculture | |
| In office 1979–1981 | |
| President | Jimmy Carter |
| County Attorney of Story County, Iowa | |
| In office 1973–1979 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Ruth Raduenz August 27, 1944 Vesta, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Alma mater | University of Minnesota (BA) Catholic University of America (JD) |
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Early life and education
editHarkin was born in Vesta, Minnesota on August 27, 1944. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of Minnesota and a Juris Doctor from the Columbus School of Law.[2][3]
Career
editHarkin was elected county attorney of Story County, Iowa in 1973 and served until 1979. From 1979 to 1981, she served as a deputy counsel for the United States Department of Agriculture prior to joining the Washington lobbying firm of Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, LLP in 1983. In 1993, President Bill Clinton named her chair and chief executive officer of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC). Harkin left the government and became Senior Vice President for international affairs and government relations of United Technologies in April 1997. In 2002, she became a Director of ConocoPhillips. Harkin was a member of the Iowa Board of Regents from 2005 to 2015.[4][5]
Harkin endorsed Hillary Clinton in the 2008 Democratic Party presidential primaries.[6]
Personal life
editHarkin has been married to the former United States Senator Tom Harkin since 1968. The couple has two daughters.[7]
References
edit- ^ "Man convicted of killing his 2-year-old son dies in Iowa prison". Radio Iowa. 2019-10-18. Retrieved 2020-04-10.
- ^ "Ruth R. Harkin, JD | Iowa Department of Human Rights". humanrights.iowa.gov. Retrieved 2020-04-10.
- ^ Appropriations, U. S. Congress House Committee on; Agencies, United States Congress House Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, and Related (1980). Agriculture, Rural Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations for 1981: Hearings Before a Subcommittee of the Committee on Appropriations, House of Representatives, Ninety-sixth Congress, Congress, Second Session. U.S. Government Printing Office.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Cooney, Bill (April 30, 2015). "Ruth Harkin's term to end". The Daily Iowan. Retrieved June 20, 2022.
- ^ Charis-Carlson, Jeff (April 19, 2015). "Regents to lose decades of knowledge with Harkin, Downer departure". Iowa City Press-Citizen. Retrieved June 20, 2022.
- ^ Haberman, Maggie. "Clinton back to the state that haunts". POLITICO. Retrieved 2020-04-10.
- ^ "Ruth Harkin reflects on 50 years of marriage: 'Maybe the beginning was never as fragile as it seemed'". Des Moines Register. Retrieved 2020-04-10.